Story by Shelley Wolf
HARTFORD – With the Cathedral of St. Joseph fully open to the public once again with no COVID-19 restrictions on capacity, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair on June 26 ordained two new priests for the Archdiocese of Hartford.
After more than a year of separation for many due to the pandemic, family and friends joined clergy and religious to witness two young men commit their lives to Christ.
The traditionally solemn, yet happy occasion took on a new dimension this year as the two candidates – Matthew Collins and Joseph MacNeill – completed many years of study and preparation, months of confinement at the Pastoral Center during the height of the pandemic, assignments as deacons in local parishes, and the lengthy multi-step rite.
Their joy could no longer be contained when, after receiving the Kiss of Peace from the archbishop and dozens of their fellow priests at the conclusion of the Rite of Ordination, Father Collins and Father MacNeill suddenly and fervently embraced one another in the sanctuary, and all those in attendance at the cathedral burst into immediate and sustained applause, rejoicing along with them.
As Archbishop Blair noted, “It’s so good for all of us to be together on such a beautiful day … the joy is palpable.”
During his homily, the archbishop enumerated many blessings. “Today we rejoice in the gift that is the priesthood and that God has given us two fine men to be priests,” he said. “Our joy is compounded by the fact that we are once again able to gather in such numbers. So there’s much to be grateful to God for as we gather this morning.”
Through ordination, he said, God is conferring the priestly power on the new priests to forgive, to heal the wounded, and to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The archbishop invoked the intercession of Mary, Joseph, and for the first time Blessed Father Michael McGivney to pray for the new priests.
“As we walk along the road that Christ tells us is hard and narrow for all those who follow him,” Archbishop Blair said, “there is no lack of consolation, inspiration and refreshment. We are always surrounded by a great cloud of heavenly witnesses to give us strength and to show us how to be faithful.”
It’s no secret that the Catholic Church the new priests will serve “faces challenging times,” he said, including profound cultural and religious challenges in society. Yet the Church has never been without challenges, he added, citing the times and example of Father McGivney, who served as a parish priest for the Archdiocese of Hartford and founded the Knights of Columbus.
“This is precisely where the life of Blessed Michael McGivney inspires us,” Archbishop Blair stressed. “By showing how he met the challenges, by rising to the task like a man, despite the times in which he lived, its poverty and anxieties, its prejudices and injustices, its sufferings and its temptations. And he did so in a positive, energetic and creative way … lighting a candle of faith, unity and charity.”
In our own time, after suffering many obstacles to offering the sacraments during the pandemic, Archbishop Blair noted that all priests are now “confronted anew with the challenge of the good shepherd to seek out the lost, bandage the wounded, and bring together his flock.”
During the ordination ceremony, Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Hartford and director of seminarians, presented the two candidates to the archbishop, affirming their worthiness to serve God and care for his people.
As is customary, the two candidates later lay prostrate on the cathedral floor as cantors led those in attendance in the Litany of Supplication, praying to the saints for their intercession. The names of the saints, followed by the congregation’s response of “Pray for us,” echoed throughout the lofty cathedral. This year the names of “Blessed Michael McGivney” and “Blessed Stanley Rother,” an American priest killed in Guatemala, were new additions to the Litany of Supplication.
Archbishop Blair, with hands outstretched, called on the Holy Spirit to bless the candidates. In the most solemn gesture of the rite, the laying on of hands, the archbishop placed his hands on the heads of the elect. All the priests present later did the same, signifying their solidarity in the priestly ministry.
Father Marcin Pluciennik, pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Manchester, vested Matthew Collins in the stole and chasuble, while Father John Melnick, pastor of St. Damien of Molokai Parish in Windsor, vested Joseph MacNeill.
After anointing the palms of the young men’s hands, the archbishop placed the paten and chalice in their hands. Finally, Archbishop Blair, followed by all priests in attendance, offered the Kiss of Peace. One by one, priests wearing white chasubles with the red crest of the archdiocese, embraced the two new priests.
Archbishop Blair also announced new assignments for the new priests, saying humorously, “And now we have to put them to work.” Collins was assigned as parochial vicar at Most Holy Trinity Parish in Wallingford and Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Yalesville. MacNeill will be a parochial vicar at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury.
Throughout the ordination, spirits were lifted by inspiring choral, organ and brass musical performances by the members of the Cathedral Schola Cantorum and the Cathedral Brass Quintet, as the smell of incense wafted through the air.
After the service, the new priests gave their first blessings to groups of elated family, friends and parishioners who supported them along their journey to the priesthood.
Following the ceremony, Father MacNeill said he was experiencing “a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction after this whole journey. I’m very, very happy to finally share it with others.”
Father Collins said, “I feel overjoyed, ready, at peace. I’m just filled with so many emotions right now and I just thank God for the many graces he has given me. I just felt it throughout the entire liturgy. I was just so into the moment, and just allowing our Lord to conform me to himself.”
The following day, the two young priests celebrated their first Mass of Thanksgiving at their home parishes. Father Collins offered the Mass at St. Matthew Parish in Forestville, while Father MacNeill celebrated at St. Mary Church, part of Annunciation Parish, in Newington.
Father Joseph MacNeill, left, and Father Matthew Collins, right, embrace at the conclusion of the Kiss of Peace as they realize they are now priests. Photo by Aaron Joseph
Archbishop Leonard P. Blair is flanked by two new priests for the Archdiocese of Hartford, Father Matthew Collins, left, and Father Joseph MacNeill, right, who were ordained June 26 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. Photo by Aaron Joseph